These designs are ones I find truly inspiring

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After countless hours of work, and a little bit of fun, I have completed my final model. I am extremely pleased with how this all came together as a whole. I learned a great deal about myself and the way I work, but that I truly love what I am doing here at Iowa State in Industrial Design. I would really like to thank my professor Seda, for allowing me the creative freedom and liberties to go out and try something new. She had me step out of my comfort zone and really attack this project head on. In most scenarios we are told, what to design and given lots of criteria, and deadlines. For this project the requirements where: to do something creative that we normally don’t do, learn about our creative process, post our process on the blog as we go, and have a final deadline on April, 28th.

The main thing that I learned about my creative process is that when I start a project I am always working on the project, and that it is on my mind all the time, no matter what. This is both beneficial and a disadvantageous. Having it on my mind all the time allows me to keep working and problem solving all day. This leads to some eccentric and interesting ideas. It also really gets me into the project, because I seem to be one with it. (I know that sounds crazy). But I really grow to care about my product/design and want it to be the best possible thing that I can come up with this at point in time. I really feel attached to the project, not necessarily the idea, I have learned to let go of design ideas, and know that I must keep an open mind towards everything. In short when ever I produce a piece of work, I want to stand tall and be proud of my work. I want to feel great about having my name next to a piece. Although stay humble through it all. I don’t want to feel ashamed to have my work next to my final outcomes. This is a bad behavior I have recently come to terms with, and that is that in everything I strive for perfection. Which is not bad, but I am harming my body when doing this, because I lose sleep, and don’t eat well if I’m stressing over a project. This year I have really comes to term with the fact that not everything (or anything) will be perfect though, and that is really great. The harmful side to having the project on my mind all the time is that…well, It’s always on my mind. It can become very bothersome, and an inconvenience. It can become frustrating if I am stuck on a problem that I can’t seem to figure out, and sometime I will lose sleep over it. But when I finally land the solution it is such a huge sigh of relief. To combat this problem over thinking, I started this project the day it was assigned. This would allow me more than enough time to dig down deep to create a design, and structure to build, and if need be (and it needed be) build more than one model. Also with this much time I allowed for myself to take a break from the project, every week or so, to get my mind off of things and come back to it with a fresh start every couple days.

Another part of my process is that I revise my ideas a great deal. The reason that I do so is not what I would have initially thought either. I would have guessed that the reason I would be changing a design was only for the aesthetic quality. It turns out I put a large amount of my revising time into how it would function, ease of use, and the fluidity of the mechanics. I found my self looking up equations and formulas to figure out the flow of water, the speed it would travel, the amount of volume needed, and many more. Then I would go back to my design and re-iderate and re-iderate.

One thing that I already knew about my process was that I always push myself to the extreme. I always take a challenge and push my self to learn new things, and see if I can discover new talents and ideas along the way. I will never take the easy way out, I will always see what more there is to do. This is a quality of my process that I both hate and love. I wish sometimes I could just do a simple easy project and call it good. But I always find myself breaking past the idea of just doing the bare minimum and really pushing myself to see my extreme.

I struggled in the beginning of what the purpose of my fountain was and the message I was trying to unveil with it. I tried to design the fountain without first acknowledging those questions. This proved to be a terrible Idea, my design were plain and boring. But while researching and creating a stereotype personality for the fountain, I came across what I wanted to show. I created the whole premise of my fountain, and that it would be with both growth and light.

The meaning behind it all. The fountain illustrates the cycle of growth and change. This motif is found in many different ways throughout the fountain. It is done with the growth of color. The physical growth of each platform. The smallest taking up only one side of the fountain, the second taking up two sides of the fountain, and the third taking up 3 sides of the fountain. The growth of color is seen with the three platforms with the primary colors: Red, Yellow, Blue, and the inside of the fountain cycles through both primary and secondary colors. Then The growth of light and the holes where the water drops. On the top piece the LED’s are farthest away from the whole, on the second tier the LEDs are halfway to the hole, and the bottom base illuminates the last hole. There is the cycle and change of water as it goes from the bottom base platform all the way to the top until it trickles all the way down again, only to repeat the process. The water physically changes properties in the fountain as well, at some point it is stagnate water, at other points, flowing falling, or even turned into mist.

I thought a lot about what I wanted to name this piece. I didn’t want to create this product that I am truly proud of and then kill it with an awful name. To come up with a name, I had to go back to the basics, and do some more research. I looked back at my word association and tried to base my research off that. I was getting quite bogged down about the notion of trying to find out a new word for fog or mist. I could not find anything that I felt particularly pleased with. Then I dove deeper into the concept of the whole piece. And I rediscovered the phenomenon of Sir Issac Newton’s Dispersion of Light. What he discovered was that when white light is shot through a clear prism and is split up into the seven colors: Violet, Indigo, Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange and Red. This process of splitting up white light into its constituent colors when passing through a transparent medium is known as Dispersion. This is why I have named my fountain, Dispersion.

Twister: I really enjoy the simplicity of this product. Although the changes are not huge differences by any means at all, the significance in usability skyrockets. The simplicity of having the ends of the fork be wavy allows for the noodles or what ever type of food you eating, a much easier experience. I am a huge fan of pasta, so I know this would be greatly beneficial. I really love the design of it aswell, so simple and yet so unique. Link: http://relogik.com/twister

Balloon Lamps: I am just really fascinated by this product. I wish I could’ve had these in my room when I was younger. This design is a really cool concept and I thinki that there is an endless possibility with what can be down with styling this in a room. Just to me a really interesting and new approach to both lamp designs and use of balloons. Link: http://www.demilked.com/creative-balloon-lamps-estiluz/

Sharky Tea Infuser: I am deathly afraid of sharks, but absolutely love this design. I drink a large quantity of tea, and the process of adding the tea into the cup of hot water can be boring and tedious, but this design gives it a whole new angle. This infuser plays around with the sight of the shark fin circling around the cup, which is really cool. And Just a really well designed piece, both simple and elegant. Link: http://www.toxel.com/inspiration/2009/02/06/sharky-tea-infuser-by-pablo-matteoda/

Ying Yang Teapot: As stated earlier I am a huge fan of tea, and love to drink all kinds. As you know, everyone has different taste buds and preferences, and sometimes it is hard to decided between two things. With this teapot design, you can have the best of both worlds. It allows you to brew two kinds of tea at the same time, so that you don’t have to fight about which one to make. Also allows more option for everyone. Link: http://www.yankodesign.com/2011/01/31/tea-for-two/

I have never really been one for personal identity test, but was quite impressed with this test. After answering the questions as honestly as I could was was determined to be an “INFJ”. Standing for: Introverted, iNtuitive, Feeling, Judging. Then after reading through the description of this personality type I was truly in awe, because what was described is most likely the best way anything could ever describe me as. It was spot in.

Below is the description given to me:

NFJs are distinguished by both their complexity of character and the unusual range and depth of their talents. Strongly humanitarian in outlook, INFJs tend to be idealists, and because of their J preference for closure and completion, they are generally “doers” as well as dreamers. This rare combination of vision and practicality often results in INFJs taking a disproportionate amount of responsibility in the various causes to which so many of them seem to be drawn.

INFJs are deeply concerned about their relations with individuals as well as the state of humanity at large. They are, in fact, sometimes mistaken for extroverts because they appear so outgoing and are so genuinely interested in people — a product of the Feeling function they most readily show to the world. On the contrary, INFJs are true introverts, who can only be emotionally intimate and fulfilled with a chosen few from among their long-term friends, family, or obvious “soul mates.” While instinctively courting the personal and organizational demands continually made upon them by others, at intervals INFJs will suddenly withdraw into themselves, sometimes shutting out even their intimates. This apparent paradox is a necessary escape valve for them, providing both time to rebuild their depleted resources and a filter to prevent the emotional overload to which they are so susceptible as inherent “givers.” As a pattern of behavior, it is perhaps the most confusing aspect of the enigmatic INFJ character to outsiders, and hence the most often misunderstood — particularly by those who have little experience with this rare type.

Due in part to the unique perspective produced by this alternation between detachment and involvement in the lives of the people around them, INFJs may well have the clearest insights of all the types into the motivations of others, for good and for evil. The most important contributing factor to this uncanny gift, however, are the empathic abilities often found in Fs, which seem to be especially heightened in the INFJ type (possibly by the dominance of the introverted N function).

This empathy can serve as a classic example of the two-edged nature of certain INFJ talents, as it can be strong enough to cause discomfort or pain in negative or stressful situations. More explicit inner conflicts are also not uncommon in INFJs; it is possible to speculate that the causes for some of these may lie in the specific combinations of preferences which define this complex type. For instance, there can sometimes be a “tug-of-war” between NF vision and idealism and the J practicality that urges compromise for the sake of achieving the highest priority goals. And the I and J combination, while perhaps enhancing self-awareness, may make it difficult for INFJs to articulate their deepest and most convoluted feelings.

Usually self-expression comes more easily to INFJs on paper, as they tend to have strong writing skills. Since in addition they often possess a strong personal charisma, INFJs are generally well-suited to the “inspirational” professions such as teaching (especially in higher education) and religious leadership. Psychology and counseling are other obvious choices, but overall, INFJs can be exceptionally difficult to pigeonhole by their career paths. Perhaps the best example of this occurs in the technical fields. Many INFJs perceive themselves at a disadvantage when dealing with the mystique and formality of “hard logic”, and in academic terms this may cause a tendency to gravitate towards the liberal arts rather than the sciences. However, the significant minority of INFJs who do pursue studies and careers in the latter areas tend to be as successful as their T counterparts, as it is *iNtuition* — the dominant function for the INFJ type — which governs the ability to understand abstract theory and implement it creatively.

In their own way, INFJs are just as much “systems builders” as are INTJs; the difference lies in that most INFJ “systems” are founded on human beings and human values, rather than information and technology. Their systems may for these reasons be conceptually “blurrier” than analogous NT ones, harder to measure in strict numerical terms, and easier to take for granted — yet it is these same underlying reasons which make the resulting contributions to society so vital and profound.

Beneath the quiet exterior, INFJs hold deep convictions about the weightier matters of life.Those who are activists – INFJs gravitate toward such a role – are there for the cause, not for personal glory or political power.

INFJs are champions of the oppressed and downtrodden.They often are found in the wake of an emergency, rescuing those who are in acute distress.INFJs may fantasize about getting revenge on those who victimize the defenseless.The concept of ‘poetic justice’ is appealing to the INFJ.

“There’s something rotten in Denmark.” Accurately suspicious about others’ motives, INFJs are not easily led.These are the people that you can rarely fool any of the time.Though affable and sympathetic to most, INFJs are selective about their friends. Such a friendship is a symbiotic bond that transcends mere words.

INFJs have a knack for fluency in language and facility in communication. In addition, nonverbal sensitivity enables the INFJ to know and be known by others intimately.

Writing, counseling, public service and even politics are areas where INFJs frequently find their niche.

For this final product, there were a lot of kinks to work out, but against the odds and through persistence I was able to fix all the problems and make a wonderful fountain. I redesigned how the square pillar was constructed in order to make it a perfect six-inch square. To fix the water from overflowing, I did some calculations to determine how much water was being pumped up and how much water was flowing through the holes in the platforms. From these calculations I was able to determine how much wider to make the holes to allow for more water to flow through, and still have the same result of the hollow stream. Just to be safe I raised the walls on the platform from half an inch to an inch, this ensured to overflow. To combat the problem of keeping the platforms level, I extend the arm pieces so they could fit into pillar and designed supports to help keep everything even and therefore level. I redesign the top of the fountain so that it was on a slant to allow for the water to flow easily onto the first platform. The white wooden base that I originally built turned out to not be tall enough to house all the electrical components, so I built a new platform tall enough to house all the wires, cords, and batteries. Then came the problems with the fogger.

The tricky part to solve was how to get the fog to rise. That was my problem. I kept thinking and devising obscure and impractical ways to lift the fog up or push the fog higher. I even toyed around with the idea of having multiple foggers, which would have been highly illogical. Then after thinking of all these absurd ways to get the mist to rise, I decided to see how well the fog would fall instead. So I quickly put together a contraption that would allow for the fog to fall over the sides of a box and saw how well the mist rolled over and fell down the sides. I then built another contraption to do this same experiment but inside the fountain. The fogger at this point was close to the top of the fountain, and when it was running it worked perfectly, giving the appearance of the pillar filled with mist. I went on to build a small floating carriage piece that attached to the top of the fountain, This piece had to be big enough to hold the fogger, and enough water so that the fogger could run, but be short enough to allow the fog to fall down the sides. After quite a bit of trial and error I landed on a design and proportion that worked without flaw. Then I ran into my next problem. The fogger needs a certain amount of water at all times in order for it to continue producing fog. The problem with this hanging carriage design was that it was high in the air and no way to keep enough water in there to keep the machine working for more than thirty seconds. To fix this problem all I needed to do was attached a “T” pipe splitter onto the hose that ran the water to the top of the fountain. With this splitter, a new tube can be added to let water flow and constantly fill up the hanging carriage with the fogger, so that the fogger will not run out of water.

After taking the time to solve these problems, I then went on to re-cut and re-build the entire fountain. It was definitely worth it to re-visit the first design to create a more fluid working mechanism.

In class we were asked to design a couple of salt and pepper shakers, and there was no limitation or constriction.

Above are my first 2 design, just working from nothing. The top idea were two cubes connected to one another. You would twist them to grind the ingredients, and then slid the shaft open to allow you to pour out the contents. Then the bottom design was merely two separate pieces that were circles that could slide to form one piece.

Then we were given 3 cards to choose from and create a design using this principle. My top design utilized the “slide” technique. So I had a form that slid open to reveal where the storage of the pepper was. Then my Second card was “rotate” so I designed a clear tube coating with an auger type mechanism that carries the ingredients to the top, in which you then pour into you food, bowl, etc.

Then working with a partner and combining cards we developed a “Solar Oven”. My partner and I decided to create something that would work like a steamer(that you would use for vegetables) by harnessing the power and heat of the sun with a magnifying glass that heats up water to a boiling temperature. We utilized, rotation, sliding drawers, and synthesizing the function to work as a whole.

I found this activity to be highly enjoyable and would love to get my hands on a deck of the cards that Seda produced!